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May 19-22, 2025
Geneva / Online
About the event
Global health is at a crossroads. U.S. and other foreign aid
freezes are disrupting critical programs, climate change is
driving new health crises, and workforce shortages are reaching
breaking points. At the same time, AI, digital innovation, and new
financing models are reshaping the future of healthcare.
On May 22, the reporters behind Devex CheckUp will
interview policymakers, funders, practitioners, and innovators to
tackle these challenges head-on. This exclusive, journalist-led
summit will break news, cut through the noise, and highlight the
solutions shaping global health’s next era, with a focus on:
-
The Health System Stress Test
Advancing self-reliance by strengthening health workforce capacity, expanding domestic health financing, and ensuring systems can withstand future shocks. -
Tech Rx: Rebooting Innovation
Harnessing AI, digital health, and new financing models to expand access and combat misinformation.
-
The Money and Politics of Global Health
Navigating funding shortfalls, WHO’s financial future, and shifting donor priorities.
In addition to our summit, we are hosting a series of events and
roundtables with partners May 19-22. Request an invite to join us
in Geneva or register to watch online. Explore the week’s agenda
below.
Watch the event
Coverage
Read our news coverage from WHA78
Hosted by:
Our partners:
Agenda
This agenda is evolving and subject to change. Check back for more updates!
1:00-2:15 p.m
CEST
Strengthening the Global Healthcare Ecosystem: Addressing the Health Worker Shortage
Produced in partnership with McKinsey Health Institute.
Join leaders from across the global health ecosystem for a dynamic discussion on what's needed to bridge the health care workforce gap– and the role of the public, private, and social sectors in advancing progress.
For in-person attendees, lunch and a gallery walk will begin at 12:00 p.m. CEST.
11:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m.
From Resolution to Action: Acting Early on Lung Cancer
Produced in partnership with AstraZeneca. Please note that this is an invite-only event.
8:30-9:30 a.m.
CEST
Kidney Health Matters: A Policy Imperative for Economic Resilience
Produced in partnership with ISN.
Kidney disease is surging but global health agendas are still playing catch-up. This event explores the growing momentum behind a proposed WHA resolution on kidney health and how it can help drive progress on universal health coverage. Featuring voices from across policy and advocacy, we’ll explore how this often-overlooked issue could help reshape the global NCD agenda.
For in-person attendees, registration will start at 8:00 a.m. CEST.
10-11 a.m.
CEST
Scaling Up Oral Health Strategies for NCD Prevention
Produced in partnership with Haleon.
Oral diseases affect nearly half the world’s population yet access to care remains out of reach for many, especially in low- and middle-income countries. This event explores how countries can advance WHO’s oral health goals by improving access and affordability, building inclusive national road maps, and ensuring oral health is part of the broader NCD and UHC agendas ahead of the 2025 U.N. High-Level Meeting.
For in-person attendees, a networking coffee will start at 9:00 am CEST.
11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
CEST
Toward global readiness: Harmonizing credentials for a borderless health workforce
Produced in partnership with the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS).
This high-level convening will serve as a platform to explore the importance of health workforce credentialing not just as a regulatory mechanism, but as a powerful enabler of workforce empowerment, system efficiency, and cross-border collaboration. Bringing together global health leaders, government officials, professional bodies, educators, and frontline professionals, the event aims to produce actionable insights and policy-relevant recommendations that will shape future strategies for credentialing, training, and sustaining a skilled, mobile, and resilient health workforce worldwide.
For in-person attendees, registration will open at 11 a.m. CEST and lunch will follow the event from 12:30-1:30 p.m. CEST.
1:35-2:15 p.m.
CEST
The Fallout and the Future: Global Health in a Time of U.S. Uncertainty
A news discussion hosted by the Devex CheckUp reporting team
Elisha Dunn-Georgiou
President and CEO, Global Health Council
Michel Kazatchkine
Senior fellow, Global Health Center
Kinz ul Eman
Chief executive officer, Dopasi Foundation
Interviewer: Sara Jerving
Senior Reporter, Devex
2:15-2:25 p.m.
CEST
Is health system transformation possible without resolving the AI governance challenge?
In partnership with HealthAI - the Global Agency for Responsible AI in Health
Ricardo Baptista Leite
CEO, HealthAI - the Global Agency for Responsible AI in Health
Interviewer: Kate Warren
Executive Vice President and Executive Editor, Devex
2:30-3:00 p.m.
CEST
Live from the World Health Assembly: This Week in Global Development
Join Devex’s Rumbi Chakamba, co-host of This Week in Global Development, for a special live podcast recording from the World Health Assembly.
Helen Clark
Former prime minister of New Zealand, co-chair of The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, member of The Elders
Dr. Ngashi Ngongo
Principal advisor to DG on program management and the continental incident manager for mpox, Africa CDC
Interviewer: Rumbi Chakamba
Senior Editor, Devex
3:30-4:30 p.m.
CEST
Maternity Matters: Advancing quality care for all through healthy beginnings and healthy futures
Produced in partnership with MSD for Mothers.
This event will bring together key stakeholders to explore how to accelerate progress in maternal and newborn survival — ensuring that every woman and baby has access to quality care and a healthy future.
For in-person attendees, registration will open at 3:00 p.m. CEST.
6-8.30 p.m.
CEST
Dinner roundtable hosted with The END Fund
Please note that this is an invite-only event.
8:30-9:30 a.m
CEST
Beyond The Numbers: Measuring What Really Matters to Strengthen Health Systems
Produced in partnership with Amgen.
What does real progress look like in health system strengthening and are our current metrics capturing it? This event dives into how health leaders, implementers, and biopharma partners are overhauling traditional monitoring and evaluation methods to expose the limitations of legacy indicators and spotlight new strategies that prioritize sustainability, equity, and context-specific outcomes, especially in low- and middle-income countries.
For in-person attendees, registration and networking begins at 8:00 a.m. CEST.
10-11 a.m
CEST
Investing for impact: Harnessing partnerships to transform NCD care
Produced in partnership with Sanofi. Please note that this is an invite-only event.
Global Health’s Next Era
Morning Sessions
(10 a.m.-1:15 p.m. CEST)
9:30 a.m.
CEST
Registration
In-person only
10:00 a.m.
CEST
Setting the stage
Kate Warren
Executive Vice President & Executive Editor, Devex
10:05 a.m.
CEST
Checking up on WHA: What our reporters are watching
Rumbi Chakamba
Senior Editor, Devex
Andrew Green
Contributing Reporter, Devex
Sara Jerving
Senior Reporter, Devex
10:20 a.m.
CEST
Cracks in the lifeline: Reforming humanitarian aid with Martin Griffiths
Martin Griffiths
Former undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Interviewer: Kate Warren
Executive Vice President & Executive Editor, Devex
10:35 a.m.
CEST
Health without borders: Closing the gaps in migrant care
Poonam Dhavan
Migration health director, IOM
Interviewer: Kate Warren
Executive Vice President & Executive Editor, Devex
10:45 a.m.
CEST
Burnout, budget cuts, and brain drain: Fixing the global health workforce
Saida Shisia Odour
CHW Supervisor, Kakamega County, Kenya
Mallika Raghavan
Deputy chief program officer, Last Mile Health
Dino Rech
CEO, Audere
Interviewer: Andrew Green
Contributing Reporter, Devex
11:15 a.m.
CEST
Beyond the frontlines: Empowering women, elevating well-being
In partnership with the the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties
Dina Alismail
Executive director of health diplomacy, Saudi Commission for Health Specialties
Interviewer: Kate Warren
Executive Vice President & Executive Editor, Devex
11:25 a.m.
CEST
Pandemic treaty: The deal is done — now what?
James Love
Executive director, Knowledge Ecology International (KEI)
Precious Matsoso
Director general, National Department of Health of South Africa; Co-chair, Intergovernmental Negotiating Body
Americo Zampetti
Minister-counsellor for health, European Union Delegation to the United Nations
Nina Schwalbe
Founder and CEO, Spark Street Advisors
Interviewer: Rumbi Chakamba
Senior Editor, Devex
12:00 p.m.
CEST
Connect over lunch
In-person only
Afternoon Sessions
(1:15-3:30 p.m. CEST)
1:20 p.m.
CEST
Health crises in an uncertain era: Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu on WHO’s Emergency Response Vision
Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu
Executive director of health emergencies, World Health Organization
Interviewer: Sara Jerving
Senior Reporter, Devex
1:35 p.m.
CEST
The transformative power of nutrition: Lessons learned from a decade of action
In partnership with The Power of Nutrition
Dr. Alok Ranjan
Director of programs and investements, The Power of Nutrition
Interviewer: Kate Warren
Executive Vice President and Executive Editor, Devex
1:45 p.m.
CEST
Financing the future: From global commitments to community priorities
Dr. Kalipso Chalkidou
Director, World Health Organization
Dr. Donald Kaberuka
Former president, African Development Bank
Interviewer: Andrew Green
Contributing Reporter, Devex
2:00 p.m.
CEST
Who pays for global health? Rethinking funding in an age of scarcity
Priya Basu
Executive head, Pandemic Fund
David Kinder
Director of development finance, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance
Françoise Vanni
Director of external relations and communications, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
Interviewer: Andrew Green
Contributing Reporter, Devex
2:25 p.m.
CEST
Lessons from reproductive health organizations in a shifting funding landscape
Susan Camara
Head of EU programs, MSI Reproductive Choices
Dr. Samukeliso Dube
Executive director, FP2030
Interviewer: Sara Jerving
Senior Reporter, Devex
2:45 p.m.
CEST
The end of the Gates Foundation
Kieran Daly
Director, global health agencies and funds, Gates Foundation
Interviewer: Rumbi Chakamba
Senior Editor, Devex
2:55 p.m.
CEST
Can philanthropy save global health?
Manisha Bhinge
Vice president, health, The Rockefeller Foundation
Kieran Daly
Director, global health agencies and funds
Anil Soni
Chief executive officer, WHO Foundation
Interviewer: Rumbi Chakamba
Senior Editor, Devex
3:20 p.m.
CEST
Final reflections
3:30-4:30 p.m
CEST
Networking hour
Speakers
His Excellency Khaled Abdelghaffar
Deputy prime minister for human development and minister of health and population in Egypt
Dr. Ayman Abdelmohsen
Chief of the sexual and reproductive health and rights branch, Programme Division, United Nations Population Fund
Samuel Kaba Akoriyea
Director-general, Ghana Health Service (GHS)
Dr. Amjad Alahmed
General manager of global marketing, Saudi Commission for Health Specialties
Dina Alismail
Executive director of health diplomacy, Saudi Commission for Health Specialties
Dr. Guled Abdijalil Ali
Director general, Federal ministry of Health of Somalia
Dr. Philip Anderson
Strategy Director, Access to Healthcare, Amgen
James Anderson
Executive director for Global Health, International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations (IFPMA)
Dr. Anshu Banerjee
Director, Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health and Ageing, World Health Organization
Ricardo Baptista Leite
CEO, HealthAI - the Global Agency for Responsible AI in Health
Dr. Joaquín Barnoya Pérez
Minster of public health and social assistance, Guatemala
Priya Basu
Executive head, Pandemic Fund
Manisha Bhinge
Vice president, health, The Rockefeller Foundation
Jacquelyn Caglia
Head, MSD for Mothers; Director, Social Impact and Sustainability; MSD
Susan Camara
Head of EU programs, MSI Reproductive Choices
Jim Campbell
Director of health workforce, World Health Organization
Dr. Kalipso Chalkidou
Director, WHO
Nan Chen
Co-executive director, Africa Frontline First
The Right Honourable Helen Clark
Former Prime Minister of New Zealand, co-chair of The Independent Panel for Pandemic Preparedness and Response, member of The Elders
Dr. Mekdes Daba
Minister of health, Ministry of Health, Ethiopia
Kieran Daly
Director, global health agencies and funds, Gates Foundation
Dr. Poonam Dhavan
Director, migration health division, International Organization for Migration
Samukeliso Dube
Executive director, FP2030
Elisha Dunn-Georgiou
President and CEO, Global Health Council
David Entwistle
President and CEO, Stanford Health Care
Jon Fairest
Head of global health unit, Sanofi
Martin Griffiths
Former undersecretary-general for humanitarian affairs and emergency relief coordinator, United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
Tania Holt
Senior partner and health worker capacity affiliated leader, McKinsey Health Institute
Ti Hwei How
Vice president of oncology and market access, Astrazeneca
Dr. Chikwe Ihekweazu
Executive director of health emergencies, World Health Organization
Jayasree Iyer
Chief executive officer, Access to Medicine Foundation
Dr. Donald Kaberuka
Former president, African Development Bank
Dr. Dympna Kavanagh
Chief dental officer, Department of Health, Ireland
Michel Kazatchkine
Senior fellow, Geneva Graduate Institute
Brian Kennedy
Executive director, Global Alliance for Patient Access
Dr. Marilyn Kimeu
Expert associate partner and co-director of Health Worker capacity, McKinsey Health Institute
David Kinder
Director of development finance, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance
Dr. Otmar Kloiber
Secretary general, World Medical Association
Pooja Kumar
Senior partner and global leader, McKinsey Health Institute
Desta Lakew
Group director, partnerships and external affairs, Amref Health Africa
Nupur Lalvani
Founder director, Blue Circle Diabetes Foundation
Fiona Loud
Policy director, Kidney Care UK; ISN Patient Liasion Advisory Group (PLAG)
James Love
Director, Knowledge Ecology International (KEI)
Sean Lybrand
Executive director of access to health care, Amgen
Leslie Mancuso
President and CEO, Jhpiego
Stephen Mason
Medical lead for oral health, Haleon
Manu Mathur
Professor and head of Dental Public Health and Primary Care at the Queen Mary University of London, and head of health policy at the Public Health Foundation of India
Precious Matsoso
Director general, National Department of Health of South Africa; Co-chair, Intergovernmental Negotiating Body
Millicent Miruka
Community health worker, Kenya Ministry of Health and Lwala Community Alliance
Joia Mukherjee
Chief medical officer, Partners In Health; director of the masters program in Global Health Delivery, Harvard Medical School
Cynthia Mwase
Director of health, Africa, Gates Foundation
Diogo Neves
Health systems and policy adviser, City Cancer Challenge
Dr. Ngashi Ngongo
Principal advisor to DG on program management and the continental incident manager for mpox, Africa CDC
Dr. Lisa Noguchi
Director for maternal and newborn health, Jhpiego
Saida Shisia Odour
CHW supervisor, Kakamega County, Kenya
Enas Omer
Liaison officer, International Federation of Medical Students' Associations
Marianne Silkjaer Nielsen
Founder and chair, CompCure
Greg Perry
Director-general, Global Self-Care Federation
Assoc. Prof. Warangkana Pichaiwong
Nephrologist, Department of Medicine, Rajavithi Hospital
Mallika Raghavan
Deputy chief program officer, Last Mile Health
Dr. Alok Ranjan
Director of programs and investments, The Power of Nutrition
Dr. Dino Rech
CEO, Audere; Audere Africa
Herb Riband
Director, Access Accelerated
Nina Schwalbe
CEO and founder, Spark Street Advisors
Peter Schwarz
President, International Diabetes Federation
Dr. Rhonda Sealey-Thomas
Assistant director, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO)
Ben Simms
Chief executive officer, Global Health Partnerships (formerly THET)
Anil Soni
Chief executive officer, WHO Foundation
Dr. Marcello Tonelli
President, International Society of Nephrology
Dr. Krishna Udayakumar
Executive director of innovations in health care, Duke University
Kinz ul Eman
Chief executive officer, Dopasi Foundation
Anna af Ugglas
Chief executive, International Confederation of Midwives
Elina Urli Hodges
Assistant director of programs, Duke Global Health Innovation Center
Françoise Vanni
Director of external relations and communications, The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria
Dr. Benoit Varenne
Technical Lead WHO oral health program, World Health Organization
Dr. Temo Waqanivalu
Founder and managing director, ActioNCD International
Yenli Wong
Partner and director of health worker capacity, McKinsey Health Institute
Americo Zampetti
Minister-counsellor for health, European Union Delegation to the United Nations
Interviewers
Alli Blount
Director of Partnerships, Devex
Rumbi Chakamba
Senior Editor, Devex
Andrew Green
Contributing Reporter, Devex
Sara Jerving
Senior Reporter, Devex
Kate Warren
Executive Vice President & Executive Editor, Devex